‘The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones’ star Jared Harris discusses the film

For all the aspiring young actors and actresses out there, the most important takeaway from the above interview with “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” co-star Jared Harris is that “acting’s fun.”

Harris sounds like he indeed had quite a bit of fun performing alongside Lily Collins and the other young star on the film’s elaborate sets.

In the movie, typical teenager Clary Fray (Collins) discovers her true identity as a shadowhunter, a half-human/half-angel warrior who fights the forces of darkness who are unseen but normal humans. It’s based on a series of bestsellers by Cassandra Clare. Harris, who plays Hodge Starkweather, tutor for the Shadowhunters.

HitFix recently sat down with co-star the “Mad Men” star, who also played the villainous Moriarty in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.” He discusses familiarizing himself with the books’ dense mythology, in a way that reflected Hodge’s own overarching knowledge of the Shadowhunters’ legacy.

Harris also touches on working with director Harald Zwart (“The Karate Kid” remake), the film’s divergence from “Harry Potter”-style magic, acting alongside with youngsters, “The Dumbledore Connection,” and — of course — his time on “Mad Men.”